The present invention relates to a surgical burring instrument. More particularly, it relates to a surgical micro-burring instrument the distal tip of which is configured to assist in tissue separation as part of a surgical procedure and is particularly useful for septoplasty and turbinoplasty procedures.
Numerous procedures have been developed to correct or address sinus abnormalities. One such procedure, known as a septoplasty, is performed to correct a deformity of the nasal septum. The nasal septum is generally comprised of cartilage (septal cartilage) in the front and thin bone in the back, lined with a thin membrane of tissue known as mucosa. The nasal septum is normally straight. Over time, however, there is a tendency for the septum to bend to one side or the other, or for an irregular shelf of cartilage or bone to develop, resulting in a deviated septum. The septoplasty procedure is performed to correct this deformity of the nasal septum. In general terms, a small incision is made inside the nose the mucosal lining of the septum is lifted or detached from the cartilage and bone. The deviated portions of the septum are removed or straightened (such as be resecting or debriding the deviated cartilage and/or bone), and the nasal lining mucous membrane is replaced. Splits or packs are then placed in the nose to maintain the septum cartilage and bone in a preferred midline position. Currently, multiple manual instruments, such as cottle elevators, chisels, and osteotomes, are required to complete a septoplasty procedure. While well accepted, use of these manual instruments require elevation of mucosal flaps on both sides of the septum to prevent mucosal tearing when removing bone and/or cartilage, provide only limited access to deviations of the maxillary crest, and can be quite time consuming. Notably, similar concerns arise with other sinus surgeries, such as submucosal removal of turbinate bone (e.g., turbinoplasty).
Powered surgical instruments have been developed for use in other, unrelated ear-nose-throat (ENT) operations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,009, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes a powered rhinoplasty bur instrument including an inner bur assembly rotatably received within an outer tubular member. In one embodiment, the outer tubular member forms curved wings or flaps that extend laterally outwardly from a window or pocket through which the bur is exposed. The wings or flaps are specifically provided to facilitate the rhinoplasty procedure. Relative to the septoplasty operation, however, the wings or flaps are highly undesirable. In addition, a separate cottle elevator (or similar elevator device) would be required to perform a septoplasty procedure using the described rhinoplasty bur instrument.
Conversely, U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,263 describes a powered micro-resecting instrument in which an inner tubular member, having a toothed cutting tip at a distal end thereof, is co-axially maintained, in a reciprocally moveable fashion, within an outer tubular member. The outer tubular member forms a window or pocket through which the cutting tip is exposed, along with an elevator tip extending distally therefrom. While highly proficient for performing an inferior turbinate reduction procedure in which only soft tissue is to be removed, this micro-resecting instrument is ill-suited for hard bone or cartilage removal applications, such as is otherwise required with a septoplasty procedure, submucosal removal of turbinate bone, etc. Further, the contour of the described elevator tip may not meet the spacing needs associated with, for example, a septoplasty procedure.
Septal reconstruction with a surgical, micro-burring or micro-debriding instrument appears highly viable, and may eliminate the complications otherwise associated with accepted techniques requiring multiple, manual instruments. Unfortunately, currently available micro-burring instruments are not designed to satisfy the needs of the septal site. Therefore, a need exists for a surgical sinus micro-burring instrument particularly capable of facilitating a septoplasty procedure.